Drop-door-operating mechanism.



R. R. WEAVER.

DROP DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, I915.

1 170128, Patented Feb. 1, I916. J 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WITNESSES HVVENTOR THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHIN c.

UNITED STATES ATE OFFIQFE- ROBERT E. WEAVER, oEcoLUMBUs, oriro AssIGNoR 'ro THE 'RALs'ro' sTEEL. CAR

COMPANY, o co MEUs oHIo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb.'1 ,1'916.

.;App1icationfi1ed-May20,1915. ,siiainazessa To all whom it may concern Be-.it known that 1, ROBERT .R. WEAVER,

a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and'State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop- Door-Operating Mechanism; and I do here by declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description. of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to improvements in drop door operating mechanism for dumping cars of that type embodying hopper bottoms,one objectof the present invention being to improve and simplify the construction disclosed in Patent No. 1,124,188 granted to me on the-fifth day of January, 1915.

it further object is to so construct door operating mechanism as to insure maximum lifting power and to eliminate the necessity for locks and pawls.

:l/Vith these and other objects inview, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of a hopper bottom car and illustrating the application of my improvements; Fig. 2 'is a view in side elevation with portions of the hopper-body removed and portions in section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. at is an enlarged view-of the central portion of the worm segment showing the clutch devices between said segment and the shaft 9, the latter being shown in section; F ig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 4, with the shaft 9 in elevation and mounted in the bearing bracket 7; Fig. 6 is a face view of the clutch member carried by the shaft 9; Fig. 7 is a detail view of the link 14; Fig. Sis a detail'view of the link 15, and Fig. 9 is a detail view of the cross head 10. 7

1, 1 represent the side sills of a car underframe, and 2 indicates a portion of the centrally located hopper body, the opening in the bottom of the latter being closed by doors 3 hinged at the sides of said opening similar to the construction shown my former patent above referred toalThe draft $1115 1? of the car terminate at their inner ends at the hopper body and are rigidly secured thereto in any suitable manner.v 4 V .The operating mechanisms for the doors are supported (for the most part) by and between the draft sills in proximity to the ends of the hopper body, said mechanisms being duplicated (exceptas hereinafter explained) at respective endso-f said hopper body. 7

Links l, tare suspended from brackets 5 secured to the draft beams at respective ends of .the lower portion of the body 2, and the links atone end of the hopper bottom are connected-with those at the other end, by rods or bars 6 disposed, under the doors, and onthese rods or bars, rollers 10 are mounted soas to run on suitable trackways on the doors, as shown and described in my patent hereinbefore referred to- Near each end of the hopper body, two brackets 7, 8 spaced apart, are secured between the draft sills and depend therefrom. Shafts 9 are mounted in bearings provided in the brackets 7, 8. of the respective pairs.

A cross headlO is secured upon an angular portion of each shaft 9, and the arms 11, 12of this cross head are disposed at an obtuse angle to each -other. The arm 11 is provided .at its'free end with a lateral en: largement 13, towhich one end of a curved link 14 is pivotally attached,the other end of'said curved link being bent laterally and pivotallyconnected with the depending link 4 farthest removed from-the arm 11 of the cross head. A curved link. 15 is pivotally connected at one end with the arm 12 of cross head 10 and at the other end said link 15 is made with a lateral bifurcated enlargement 15 pivotally attached to the depending link farthest removed from the arm 12 of the cross head.

A worm segment 16 is loosely mounted upon each shaft 9 and the hub of this segment is made with a'clutch member 17 having a lug 18. Another clutch member 19 is secured to each shaft 9 and made with a lug 20 :tocooperate with the-lug 18 of'clutch member 17 ,and the lugs on the two clutch members are so proportioned as to permit of relative -movements of. the segment 16 and shaft 9.

Worms 21 are mounted between the draft sills near respective ends of the hopper body,

and are dispbsed over inniesh with the? worm segments 16. A transverse shaft 22 tails of construction of invention without departing from the spirit thereof or passesthroiighoneof-"said worms fori r'otat;{limiting its seep-e and hence I do not Wish-to ing the same, and this shaft is mounted near its ends in bearings 23 secured .to the side...

project beyond the, side sills for there ep-" tiono f a suitable "device for manually op'er ating it. A transverse shaft 2lis connected with the worm 21 at the other end of the ho'p ijer body and extends to one side only of the car, where itis mounted in a suitable bearing 25 secured to one of the side sills 1,- and projects somewhat beyond the same forthe reception of a suitable hand operated device. Sprocket'wheels 27, 28 are secured to the shafts 22 and 24 (preferably near their mountings in one of the side sills,) and these sprockets areconnected 'by a sprocket chain 29, so that when one or the other of said shafts is rotated, motion will be imparted to both worms 21, for turning the worm segments 16. WVhen the doors are closed, their retention in such position will be insured by the worm gearing, without necessity for the use of pawl and ratchet devices, such as heretofore employed.

. Motion imparted to the worm segmentsby the operation of one of the shafts 222='1, as above explained, will be transmitted through the clutch member 1719 to theshafts' 9. When the shafts 9 shall have been moved sufliciently to overcome the dead centers-of-the link mechanisms, the Weight of the loadin the hopper body will force thev doors fully open. During the opening move. ments of the doors, the lugs on the-clutch members on the shafts 9 will travelthrough the space separating therends of the lugs on the hubs of the worn segments, and thus the opening movement ofthe doors after the initial operation of they worm gearing will be independent of the latter. To effect the closing of the doors, the trainman will operate one of the shafts 22 or 24 toimpart motion to the worms 21 and cause the latter to operate the worm segments 16. Motion will now be imparted by the wormsegrnents to the shafts 9 (through themediuin of the clutch devices) and the rotation of said shafts 9 will operate the link mechanisms to close the doors as will be readily understood.

The improved construction. of worm gear operating mechanism,olocated in line with the longitudinalaxis of the car at respective ends of the hopper andvoperated from the sides of the car, is exceedingly simple and provides powerful means for effecting the closing of the doors, with the expenditure of a minimum amount of energy, and also provides efficient means for locking the doors in closed position.

Slight changes might be made in the de- Letters-Pa'tent, is

restrict myself "to the precise details herein I i I v set forth. 7 $1118 1, the ends of said shaft being made to I-laying frillydescribed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby $91. The, combination with a car underframe, a hopper body having a single opening in its bottom" a-nd'draft sills terminating atthe hopper body, of two doors closing said single opening,- a shaft parallel with thelongitudinal axis of the underframe,

hearing brackets for said shaft supported bythe draft sills, pivoted link mechanismconnecting said shaft with the two doors, a worm gear on said shaft, a transverse worm mounted between the draft sill and meshing with-said worm gear,-and-means for man i operating to close said bottom opening, of

a shaft supported by the under-frame parallel with the'longitudinal axis thereof and outside of the hopper body, pivoted link mechanism connecting said shaft with the drop doors, a worm gear loose on said shaft,

lost-motion clutchdevices between said Worm gear and shaft-,a worm mounted transversely over the longitudinal center of the under-- frame and meshing with said worm gear, and means for operating said worm from the sides of the car.

3. The combination with a car underframe, a hopper body having a single unobs structed bottom opening, two drop doors 00.- operating to close said bottom opening, and pivoted link mechanism located near respective ends of the hopper body and cooperative with said drop doors, of draft sills terminating at the hopper body, brackets depending from said center sills beyond respective ends of the hopper body, shafts mounted in saidbrackets, centrally located worm gears mounted on said shafts, means connecting the respective worm gears with the respective link -mechanisms, tWo cen-r In testimony whereof, I have signed this Y specification in the presence of two subscribingv witnesses.

ROBERT R. WEAVER. Witnesses;

I I. WE

H. B. BING.

both; patent be obtained forgive gents addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington D. 0. i 

